novelraw Chapter 953: Dark Guilds and Treasure Hunters
Chapter 953: Dark Guilds and Treasure Hunters
Mages have their own sense of pride. If a task can be completed independently, they should not trouble their companions.
It was absolutely not because they feared punishment upon returning.
The group carefully gathered all the information Warrod could provide, confirmed the mission objectives, and quickly prepared to depart.
Before they left, Warrod showed them a small demonstration.
A tiny seed sprouted beneath Team A’s feet. In the blink of an eye, it grew into a towering tree that lifted all of them into the air.
Before they could even react, the tree continued growing and bent southward, carrying them forward.
Once the trunk reached the width of two people embracing it, it stopped thickening. However, it continued to stretch south at an astonishing speed, even faster than a train.
Leaves rustled wildly, and the wind whistled past their ears. In the next instant, Warrod was nowhere to be seen.
Most miraculously, even at such speed, with the canopy occasionally swerving like a roller coaster, Natsu showed no signs of motion sickness at all.
"What absurd magic. For someone like him to say that mages stronger than himself are as common as cattle is truly excessive modesty."
"That old man actually turned a tree into transportation."
"Aye!"
"Ugh... blegh..."
"Don’t get motion sick just because someone mentioned transportation!"
"Want a sip of alcohol to calm your stomach?"
The miraculous tree continued extending southward, delivering the group straight to Sun Village, more than two thousand kilometers away.
It was not scientific, but it was undeniably magical.
Once everyone steadied themselves, a world of silver stretched out before their eyes.
Trees, rocks, and rivers were all encased in ice, as though this had always been a frozen land.
After walking a short distance, massive structures came into view.
An ordinary street was as wide as countless plazas combined, and a single-story house was as grand as a towering palace.
Naturally, everything was frozen solid.
The entire village was eerily silent.
After a brief moment of stunned awe, the group cautiously stepped into the giant settlement.
Crossing the vast street and turning a corner, they finally saw the villagers.
Giants stood frozen mid-motion. Some carried swords still in their scabbards. Some held spears thrust forward. Some had their mouths open as if roaring. Others were caught mid-stride, as though charging into battle.
Cana reached out and touched the heel of one giant. Her fingers met only cold ice.
She looked up at the frozen postures.
"It feels like they were fighting someone and then got frozen instantly."
"So it wasn’t a natural disaster," Erza said quietly. "But ice magic on this scale..."
She turned to Gray.
"I can’t do it," Gray said honestly.
If it were an ordinary village, he might have been able to attempt something similar. But this was a village built for giants.
Lucy asked nervously,
"Are they still alive? I can’t believe it."
"Aye," Happy raised a paw. "That’s what old man Warrod said."
"Well then," Natsu said confidently, pressing his hands against a giant’s foot, "as long as we melt the ice and save the giant uncles, it’ll be fine, right?"
Flames burst from his palms, surging upward.
The strange ice showed no reaction at all.
Natsu increased his output. Powerful flames engulfed half the giant’s foot.
By the time Natsu collapsed from exhaustion, panting heavily, the ice remained completely unchanged.
Lucy frowned. It felt like Natsu had not gone all out, but judging by his condition, he had been serious.
Was there something wrong with this ice?
Gray placed his hand against the giant’s toe and attempted to manipulate the ice using his own magic.
Several seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
Erza frowned.
"Is Gray’s magic ineffective as well?"
"It’s a bit strange," Gray said thoughtfully.
"Inside this ice, there’s clearly a kind of magic power I’ve never encountered before. Yet it gives me a faint sense of familiarity."
Cana, as always, was pragmatic.
"Since this is a request from one of the Ten Wizard Saints, it was never going to be easy. Let’s investigate first."
Lucy asked,
"Could Cana’s magic shatter it?"
"My magic isn’t that precise," Cana replied, curling her lip.
"If I shatter it, I’ll shatter whatever’s inside as well. If we only want to break the ice layer... my damned old man might be able to pull it off."
"All right," Erza said.
"Let’s split up and look for clues. Maybe...huh?"
She froze mid-sentence, hearing a loud noise echo through the frozen village.
"Over there!" Natsu shouted, already charging off in the direction opposite the frozen giants’ gaze.
The others hurried after him, circling around a strangely shaped ice mound and rushing toward the far side of the village.
At that moment, a group of three treasure hunters stood facing three very unusual individuals.
"You’re from a Magician Guild, aren’t you?" said the long-haired youth named Drake.
He was holding a sniper rifle, its barrel still smoking, clearly having just fired a shot.
Beside him, Hiroshi, a swordsman with his blade strapped to his back, cautiously sized up their opponents.
"And they look like Dark Guild members. Super weird-looking ones, too."
The third member wielded a massive hammer shaped like a clenched fist. He had a round head, an awkward pompadour, and made strange noises as he spoke.
"Dong. Dong."
If the treasure hunters looked odd, their opponents were even stranger.
The first was a bizarre bird circling overhead. It had short antennae, a round head with a single eye, and the tail of a snake. It looked like Plankton’s head grafted onto the body of a legendary Itsumade.
The second was a masked brute. A horrifying, gaping mouth was painted across his mask, and his eyes radiated murderous intent.
The third appeared completely normal. Anyone who had followed the Grand Magic Games would recognize her instantly.
She was the strongest mage of the long-reigning champion team.
The daughter of Sabertooth’s former master.
Minerva.
She had just blocked the bullet and was the first to speak.
"What right do mere thieves have to judge a Dark Guild?"
"Thieves?" Drake bristled at the word.
"No. We are members of the number one ranked Treasure Hunter Guild, Sylph Labyrinth!"
"That’s right," Hiroshi added enthusiastically.
"Super Treasure Hunters!"
Lala gave a thumbs-up.
"Dong."
"So," Drake continued, "what are you doing here?"
The treasure hunters answered without hesitation.
"Obviously, we’re here to claim a Super S-Class treasure. The dream fire that has burned for hundreds of years. The Eternal Flame!"
Hiroshi gripped his sword with both hands.
"You’d better not get in our way."
Lala raised his massive hammer.
"Dong. Dong."
Minerva smiled with open disdain.
"That is most unfortunate. This lady’s mission is to ensure that no one interferes with this village."
The instant she finished speaking, the three treasure hunters leapt in different directions.
The ground where they had stood exploded with a deafening boom.
They reacted quickly, preparing to counterattack the moment they landed.
Then they froze.
Their belts had loosened, their pants were slipping down, and when they tried to pull them back up, they found their sleeves had grown absurdly long, completely covering their hands.
Their weapons suddenly felt impossibly heavy, nearly crushing them under their own weight.
"What happened?" Drake shouted, staring at his companions in shock, then down at himself.
"Children?"
The other two realized the same thing.
All three of them had turned into children.
The masked brute spoke lazily.
"You’re too slow, newcomer."
"Doriate," Minerva said coldly, "you should address this lady as ’Young Mistress.’"
At that moment, the strange bird in the sky swooped down sharply.
"Gieeeee. More guests have arrived!"
....
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